The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : ‘People hurled stones only after police firing’

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Wednesday, Sep 05, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

‘People hurled stones only after police firing’

Staff Reporter

Mudigonda witnesses depose before commission of inquiry
‘Police officials did not sustain any injuries during stone pelting’

MUDIGONDA: The police who had opened fire on the protesters at Mudigonda cross roads on July 28, were assailed by a rain of stones. Some people were killed in the police firing. Enraged with the deaths, the kin of the victims, resorted to stone pelting, said Banothu Mothi, the first witness who deposed before Justice I. Panduranga Rao Commission of inquiry on Tuesday.

She said CPI(M) leaders Bandi Ramesh and Rayala Venkateswar Rao sat with the protesters on the road. “We were all beaten up by the police.”

As they opened fire targeting the crowd, she said that she took to heels, ran towards the Vallabi road in a bid to escape from the spot.

But she sustained a bullet injury and lost consciousness while trying to enter a telephone booth.

She said neither the Sub Inspector nor the Inspector present on the spot sustained any injuries during the stone pelting.

Cross examination

Facing the cross examination, she told the Commission that she had never seen the Sub Inspector except on that particular occasion.

I have not seen the two police officers either before the incident or afterwards, she added. Bandi Ramesh addressed the protesters before the lathicharge.

He was also beaten up along with others. As the police opened fire on the crowd, he was carried away from the spot by the agitators, she said.

For land

Gurjuluri Shankar, a labourer from Gokinepalli village, who also sustained a bullet injury, told the Commission that since he has no land of his own, he took part in Bhoo Poratam in the hope of securing a house site.

Upender, yet another labourer from Chirumarri village, said before the police opened fire, both the Sub Inspector and CI approached the protesters and asked them to call off the dharna and left the place.

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